Suicide and Patients In Your ED

The ED can be a critical interventional point for the care and management of people considering or recovering from suicide attempts. Here are some resources to help you spot, manage, treat, and help to heal behavioral emergencies.

ACEP Resources

• Bedside tool: iCAR2E is a point-of-care tool to help manage suicidal patients in the ED. It's available in a desktop version and also on the emPOC app (iTunes and Google Play) with a bundle of other patient care tools. 

  • Related: ED recommendations for suicide prevention in adults: The ICAR²E mnemonic and a systematic review of the literature

• Smart Phrase for Suicide Prevention includes discharge safety plan.

• Clinical Policy: Critical Issues in the Diagnosis and Management of the Adult Psychiatric Patient in the ED

  • Refinement to Psychiatric Clinical Policy 

• Information Paper: The Suicide Contagion in Adolescents: The Role of the Emergency Department

  • Related: ACEP Now article about suicide contagion in adolescents

• Podcast: Suicide Prevention in the ED and Beyond

Published Literature & More Resources

• Annals: Changes in Firearm and Medication Storage Practices in Homes of Youths at Risk for Suicide: Results of the SAFETY Study
• Annals: An Interpretable Deep Learning Model for the Prevention of Self-Harm and Suicide
• Annals: Peer Victimization & Perceived Burdens Among Suicidal Adolescents
• ACEP Now: Discussing a Suicide Attempt in the Family with Children
• The Needs Of Incarcerated ED Patients
• ACEP Now: Intervention During, after ED Visit May Reduce Suicide Attempts
• How to Tell Whether a Psychiatric Emergency is Due to Disease or Psychological Illness
• Pediatric Mental Health Emergencies in the Emergency Medical Services System
• Mental Health and Substance Abuse Resources
• Bombings and Mental Health
• Annals: Health Care Usage and Risk Screening Within One Year of Suicide Death
• Annals: Snapchat Toxicology: Social Media and Suicide
• Annals: Reducing Suicide Risk: Challenges and Opportunities in the Emergency Department
• Annals: Computerized Screening for Major Depressive Disorder and Suicide Risk in an Emergency Department
• Annals: Managing Suicidal Patients in the ED
• Annals: Linking Suicide Attempt Patients With Community Support Programs: The Effect of a Crisis Intervention Team Operating in the Emergency Department
• Annals: Are There Tools to Screen Children and Adolescents in the Emergency Department With Mental Health and Substance Abuse Issues?
• Annals: “Sometimes You Feel Like the Freak Show”: A Qualitative Assessment of Emergency Care Experiences Among Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Patients
• Annals: Trends Among Emergency Department Visits for Suicide-Related Diagnoses, 2008-2014
• Health Issues To Consider Among Transgender Patients
• Firearms and Suicide

External Resources

• MD Mag - Safety Planning & Improved Outcomes of Care
• NIH: Suicide Risk Screening Toolkit for Medical Settings
• NIH: Therapy Reduces Risk in Suicidal Youth
• NIH: Predicting Suicide With EHRs
• Reporting On Suicide: Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide